Pocket Change
by TheDaedricPrinceOfCrossovers
Summary: One little slip of the lip and she had given up EVERYTHING. Amazing what Aphrodite makes you do when you aren't completely sealed up.


There was shouting from outside the cabins.

Insults and profanities began to fly. A small group of campers had gathered near the two people. "What's going on?" One camper whispered to his friend.

"Grover's mad again."

"Duh, numbnuts. Who ticked him off this time?"

"Nico. _Again_. He's been hitting on that lieutenant of Artemis, Thalia."

Another joined in the conversation. "Everyone knows that the Hunters'll rip out your throat if you hit on 'em."

A sharpened sword would have trouble cutting the thick tension in the air. Grover's eyes were sawing through Nico's skull. Nico had a slight smirk on his face. Nobody in the crowd moved.

"Say it again," Grover beckoned. He hadn't been this mad in awhile. He had been shouting so loudly and vigorously that his face was flushed and his Rasta cap was strewn aside.

"I said that it isn't fair that those Hunters get to keep her all to themselves. I mean, _seriously_. It's pretty selfish that they hide themselves away from the rest of us. I mean, all those nice mamasitas-"

"HOW ABOUT YOU TAKE A CUSSING JUMP OFF A CLIFF SOMEWHERE?" Phoebe from the hunters yelled. "You don't even have the courage to say it to her face, does it justify that you-"

"Break. It. _Up._" Two arms separated the three arguing. Percy stared at the three, silently daring the three to continue.

"Really, you'd think that after four years this would stop." Thalia said, walking up. She glared at the three. "Get out of here." She said.

"Yes, ma'am." Nico muttered.

"And if you ever call me a mamasita again, I'll… castrate you with a garden weasel."

Grover, Nico, and Phoebe went in their separate directions. Thalia looked at the crowd. "Something interesting here? Go on, I'm sure your HC's are looking for you."

The crowd separated, all disgruntled that they hadn't seen a good fight.

When they were gone, the two demigods sighed in relief. "That's the third time this week Nico's picked a fight." Percy pointed out, as they headed towards the archery range instinctively.

Thalia didn't say anything, but rubbed her silver charm bracelet. Percy noticed that her arm was horridly scarred.

"Don't let him get to you," he said, knocking her in the arm playfully, "You're totally happy in the Hunters."

Thalia smiled very slightly, than punched him back. "You got that one. I wouldn't be doing anything else in the world."

That took Percy by surprise. He never really knew that much about Thalia before she popped out of the tree 5 years ago. After a moment of awkward silence, Percy broke it.

"Why did you join the Hunters anyway?" he asked.

Thalia looked a bit shell-shocked for a minute, but said, "Why?"

"Uh, yeah. Why?"

"Does it… matter?"

Percy thought for a second, but said, "No. I guess not, mamasita."

"The garden weasel, Percy."

The two reached the range, and Thalia took out her bow. The new targets moved around. Thalia pegged three of them in quick secession. "Nice shot." Percy observed.

Muttering a quick 'thanks' and taking another arrow from the quiver, Thalia looked at Percy who had just grabbed at standard bow and a half-full quiver. He looked down the arrow, and missed, point-blank.

Thalia smiled as she hit six more targets. "Hey!" Percy said. "Those things don't grow on trees!"

Thalia laughed. As silence hit for a minute, then Thalia said, "Pressure."

"Huh?"

Thalia sighed. "Being the daughter of Zeus… well… I hate Attention. I get attention being the daughter of Zeus. It's cool… I guess… to have all these lightning powers."

To illustrate her point, she ignited her arrow and sent it flying down the range. A hay bale caught fire. Percy sighed, and held up his hands. The sensation of taking a swim in ice water engulfed the entire Camp for a millisecond – then a ton of water doused the flame.

"Overkill?"

"Nah." Percy said. He looked up at the sky, even though the sun was nearly down.

"I guess the prophecy got to me, too. I mean... that's a lot of weight on the shoulders."

"Ah, whatever. It's all a gamble."

Thalia looked up. "I'm starting to think you have a gambling problem."

"Why?"

"First, you are AWFUL at poker, and second... you seem to risk everything. For... friends."

"Huh… well mix that 'gambling problem' with my seemingly endless luck and you get the warrior standing in front of you." Percy shrugged. "'Sides, what would be the point of sticking around with these loons without making it a little fun in the process? Taking chances does just that."

A mock-sneer took residence on THalia's face. "You betta watch et Percy, muh momma's half loon."

They both burst into laughter at the random movie quote.

The silence went on for awhile, before their glances turned back towards the sky.

"Hey… that one looks kind of like an airplane," Thalia said, pointing.

He squinted to get a better look, scooting closer to see from her point of view. "Yeah, it does. That's pretty cool, eh? I've never seen one like that."

"A cloud or airplane?"

"Very amusing."

Thalia raised an eyebrow. "Watch yourself Jackson. I may just have to hurt you."

Percy's smile quickly turned into a glare. "Is that a challenge?"

"Of course."

"Really?"

"Really."

"So if I mess with you again, I'm in for a beat-down."

"That's right- PERCY DON'T!"

Gallons of water hit Thalia square in the head. She spit out geysers of water, cussing. "What was that? I couldn't hear you over the unstoppable power of a bad-hair day!" Percy said.

Thalia spotted a figure galloping into sight. "Percy, STOP!"

"Ha, you wish."

"No seriously! I see Chiron coming!"

Percy looked, and then frowned. "Cuss! We shouldn't be out of the infirmary yet!"

"We are so dead!" Thalia said, gathering her belongings. "Let's get out of here! Unless we want the lecture of the century!"

"Right…Uh…We could hide in the supply closet."

"No way. I'm claustrophobic."

"What? Why didn't you ever tell me you were—"

"Focus!"

"Um… we could cut through the woods…"

A curt nod and a quick scramble later they found themselves jogging down the forest trail that the Camp ran along each morning to warm up. "I think we got away… he wasn't coming back here was he?" Thalia asked, slowing to a walk."

"Nah…we dodged a bullet there. You know how long winded the Chiron can be." Percy pointed out, slowing to match her pace.

"And poetic. It seems like he's already rehearsed everything he says."

After a while of silence, Thalia heard something. "Dig in!" She hissed.

A few campers from Cabin #18 passed by on a hunting trip. One of them pointed a flashlight at where Percy had just been. Once they passed, they walked back out onto the path.

They continued to walk and talk until they reached the infirmary doors. Thalia kept noticing how Percy's eyes would linger on her face for a moment longer than usual than he would look away quickly, as if he were contemplating saying something but then deciding against it. It made her force back a blush, not really wanting to be teased about being red-faced. His misty green eyes with darker flecks of evergreen would automatically draw people in. They were always showing every emotion that ran through him. With an all around gentle disposition it made one wonder if he was even REALLY that much of a battle hardened warrior after all. He was a tall man with sinewy limbs and a muscular torso, he couldn't really be considered ripped but that didn't mean he wasn't well built.

'Great…' She thought. 'Now I've been staring at him.'

The long gaze had gone unnoticed, however, for Percy was too busy thinking to take note of her behavior. He was picturing her face, too nervous to look down for fear of being caught staring. Large blue eyes that rarely showed emotion were really the feature that dominated her face. So much mystery was behind them that anyone would be second guessing their original assumptions as to what the woman was thinking.

'Great…' He mused to himself. 'Now I must look like an idiot. I haven't said anything in about four minutes.'

"A penny for your thoughts?" Percy finally managed, waving off his thoughts of Thalia.

Thalia was quite impressed with the word usage. "Hmmm? Oh…uh…" Her cheeks quickly became a deep red color. "I-I was…I was uh…Well I—"

"You can tell me Thalia. Is this about what Nico said? You know I'll knock his head off if he says anything like that again, it's nothing to worry about."

"No, it's not that." She chewed her lip, wondering how embarrassing it would be if she just said what she was really thinking. "I was just thinking about getting to the showers and going to bed. I'm really tired."

It was an obvious lie, but he let it slip. "Right. Well, here's your cabin." He punched her shoulder lightly. "'Night, Thalia."

"'Night, love you."

Percy, who'd turned to leave, froze mid-step.

Thalia, who'd just been reaching for her door's knob, froze in mid-reach.  
_  
__'Did she just say…?'_

_'Cussssss!'_

He turned back to her slowly, eyebrows raised, face red. "What was that last part?"

She had a real 'deer-caught-in-head-lights' look on her face. "I-I-I… I said 'Good night, see you in the morning…'" 'Cusssssssssss,' She groaned inwardly. What was the use? He'd caught her unintentional slip up and the smirk on his face was proof.

"I don't think that's what you said."

"Cuss Percy, I wasn't thinking."

"Thinking too much is more like it. Now what was it that you said?"

"You know what I said."

"Mmhmm."

"You're really gonna make me say it again huh?"

"You bet."

She sighed deeply in frustration, muttering something under her breath.

"I'm sorry what was that?" He leaned closer, holding a hand up to his ear. "I couldn't hear you."

"Ugh…" She growled in frustration.

Percy was red all over... and he judged Mount Thalia would soon erupt. He never thought he would be more embarassed in his life.

"GET OUT OF HERE JACKSON!" Thalia wailed, pretty much waking up the whole Camp.

Percy turned and dashed.

* * *

"You all right, Thals?" Annabeth asked Thalia when she prepared to leave a week later – Artemis was done with her urgent Olympian business.

"Uh – yeah." Thalia said shakily.

Thalia had hid the shadows for the whole week. Percy hadn't been much different.

Thalia slipped on a sock. Oddly enough she felt something in it. She took it out. It was a coin.

A penny.

It had a note taped to it. It read:

_I always keep my promises. You think too much._

Thalia looked forward, and swore loudly. Then she said, "Screw Percy, I ordered that garden weasel for nothing now."

**I know. That was like my brain turned into a snuggie then barfed out this story, it's so fluffy. ****Needed to be done :) **


End file.
